AVICII – PROMO MIX 2013
Avicii has just released his promotional mix for 2013 highlighting some unheard tracks and showing his country side. While the music was certainly interesting I felt as if there could have been some better transitions. At some points, there were awkward gaps in the music and random volume changes. Overall, I think it was pretty solid and definitely worth a listen if you are an Avicii fan.
Avicii Promo Mix 2013 |
Live Sets: Armin van Buuren, New World Punx, and W&W at MSG for ASOT 600
This past weekend Armin van Buuren, New World Punx, W&W and Alex M.OR.P.H. brought A State of Trance 600 to the legendary NYC venue, Madison Square Garden. The energy in the arena was live and the performers did a fantastic job of keeping the energy high throughout the night. The stage production was impressive and each set was crafted together nicely. Hit the jump to peep a picture of me reppin’ YGM in the pit with my freshmen cousin, Armen and to watch my HD footage of Armin van Buuren’s massive closer to what I would call a memorable night. Armin finished his set up with some help from Trevor Guthrie, crazy lights, confetti and awesome fireworks. Might I add that the closing song was W&W’s insane remix of his latest single, “This Is What It Feels Like.” Enjoy the footage after the jump and stream the live sets from 3/30/13 below.
W&W – Live @ ASOT 600 NY (3/30/13)
New World Punx – Live @ ASOT 600 NY (3/30/13)
Armin van Buuren – Live @ ASOT 600 NY (3/30/13)
Interview with upcoming artist Old Best Friend
Old Best Friend performing at the Vibe Lounge in RVC
Last weekend, YGM went to see one of our favorite upcoming indie acts perform in Rockville Centre. Old Best Friend performed their first full-band set that night, and it sounded absolutely awesome (nowhere near what you would expect a bands FIRST show to sound like). There wasn’t the biggest crowd out there for him that night, but with Old Best Friend’s near flawless debut EP and memorable live show that’s sure to change very soon.
Mike Comite of Old Best Friend was nice enough to sit down with us for a interview after the show. Click ‘read more’ to read the interview and see some live footage from the show.
Joey Bada$$ & Pro Era ‘Billboard Freestyle’
Pro Era’s own, Joey Bada$$ recently let loose a previously unreleased freestyle from back when he was 16 to the interwebs for #PROERAweek. The young rapper is now back again with his team for a killer freestyle that was recorded over at the Billboard offices. The Pro Era crew showed off their talents on the mic and then went on to perform their Aprocalypse single “School High.” You can watch the performance and Billboard’s interview with Joey Bada$$ after the jump. Check out Pro Era’s off the dome freestyle below.
Kendrick Lamar Takes Over NYC
As I was in the train heading towards the Kendrick Lamar concert tonight, I questioned if the $72 I paid for the ticket was worth it. Kendrick had a performance at Lettermen before his first Roseland Ballroom show. The TDE rapper had a busy night planned on February 26th, but he did not disappoint. He stormed the stage with a ton of energy.
The Compton native began the concert after a 30 minute delay with his Jeezy collaboration, “Westside, Right On Time,” and then transitioned into his Section .80 classic, “Hol Up.” K. Dot started off with mostly mixtape tracks and then performed some album tracks towards the end of the night. Top Dawg Entertainment took over Roseland Ballroom. Ab-Soul came out to perform “Terrorist Threats,” Jay Rock was around to spit his verse in “Money Trees”, and lastly Schoolboy Q performed his hit single “Hands On The Wheel.” Q even went on to say that he is tired of performing that track and is ready to show off his new music. Kendrick held his own on stage. He flowed naturally from one song to the next giving the crowd the ultimate concert experience. It also didn’t hurt that he added a light show that included lasers and a great stage production. Overall Kendrick’s performance surpassed my expectations. His delivery, stage presence and discography is unrivaled by any other freshman in the game right now. As Peter Rosenberg said before Kendrick’s set, “He is the greatest young artist doing this hip hop thing right now.” No doubt about that. Watch footage from the early Roseland Ballroom show and Kendrick’s performance on Letterman after the jump. Also check out his debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, if you have been sleeping.
Midnight Conspiracy Takes On Webster Hall
Heavy Bass producers, Midnight Conspiracy, debuted their “Eye Live – Laser Light & Heavy Bass Experience” in New York City at Webster Hall on November 30. The show ended later than excepted and as a result we had to leave a bit early since fellow YGM poster, @brak_city, had a wrestling match that same morning. Although we missed a majority of Midnight’s set, we still got a tease of the the light show and heard the opening few songs from their set. And let me tell you, the duo really knows how to put on a good show. They’ve realized that it is more than just the music, which happens to be top notch from the Chicago based act, but it is a combination of the live experience and stage set up. Who would of thought that a simple eye set up would be crazed over? The eye along with the laser set up and booming bass heavy music makes up for a must see live show. When talking Mikul Wing from Midnight Conspiracy before hitting stage, he said that the group is going to try to release one new track every month after the new year. He also exclaimed that they will be touring a lot more when asked about how it has been different after getting signed to Ultra Records. Mikul explained me to me how the eye takes a while to set up as well since the group is made up of the only people who truly know how to get it up. I’m amazed how independent yet musically inclined these guys are. Since I can’t truly comment on Midnight Conspiracy’s set in its entirety given that I left early, I’ll just tease you guys with an image below that I spotted on Instagram from the night of the concert.
OWSLA Takes Over WeSC
On November 16th, the 2012 OWSLA tour hit NYC’s Webster Hall. Before the show, however, Birdy Nam Nam, Monsta, Kill Paris, and Kill the Noise made a stop at Lafayette street, and took over the local WeSC clothing store. Not only did the store sell a plethora of OWSLA apparel for those two hours, but the OWSLA crew also played a private pre-show set for a small handful of lucky fans. In between sets, the rising stars took the time out to hang out with their fans, answering their questions, and sharing a few laughs.
Kill Paris at WeSC
The set was very intimate, with fans never finding themselves more than 15 feet away from the CDJs. The set was also very diverse, featuring everything from songs off of Skrillex’s “Bangarang,” to Kill Paris’s chill, groovy dropstep tunes.
Kill the Noise at WeSC
I was lucky enough to get the chance to speak to Jake Stanczak, aka Kill the Noise, about his newest EP, Black Magic. Black Magic, released under OWSLA on November 6th, features the hard-hitting beats and brain-melting synths that we’ve all come to love about Kill the Noise. One song on the album, “Thumbs Up,” even features vocal samples from the viral Youtube video “Thumbs up for Rock and Roll.” Be sure to check out Black Magic on Beatport here!
Kendrick Lamar Kills It In Nashville
King Kendrick brought his talents to Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium and he put on a show that everyone will remember. Ever since good kid, m.A.A.d. city was released, I have been listening to Kendrick with my friends non-stop. His unique style and delivery is changing the game so I was really excited to see Kendrick live. He did not disappoint at all. You could tell that there is a serious love between Kendrick and his fans. The crowd knew every single word to every song Kendrick played. Kendrick brought so much energy to each and every song and the crowd definitely fed off of it. Although the performance was a little bit short, Kendrick and Nashville definitely brought it at War Memorial Auditorium and I would highly recommend EVERYONE try to attend a Kendrick concert in the near future.
Concert Review: With Your Friends Fest
With Your Friends Fest hit Nashville this past weekend and it was awesome. Big names that performed at the festival included Nas, Pretty Lights, Skrillex, Santigold, 12th Planet, and Dillon Francis. Because of Commodore Quake (we will review it!), we were unable to attend day 1 of the festival but all the headliners also played on day 2. We got there right after Nas finished performing. I was told he was incredible and that he even went into the crowd to finish his act. Skrillex was next to perform and even though I’m not a big fan, he definitely brought it in Nashville this past weekend. Pretty Lights was the big finale and he killed it. I saw him last year in Nashville on Halloween and he was incredible. He brought it again this year on Halloweekend as his light show lit up downtown Nashville. The crowd was very engaged and it seemed like the concert lived up to its name. With Your Friends was a great time and I really hope it comes back to Nashville next year. Check out some of the footage and pictures below!
Pretty Lights Opener
Skrillex’s mix of “Cinema”
Preview: Dimitri Vegas, Like Mike, Coone & Lil Jon – Madness
Banger, banger and banger. Those are the only words I need to describe this track. It’s going to be a festival anthem that you will hear everywhere once it releases. Lil Jon’s vocals on the track just hype the intensity while Dimitri Vegas, Like Mike and Coone sample Headhunterz ridiculous bass line to their song. The title of the song speaks for itself. The video is of the trio premiering it at Tomorrowland 2012. Check it out below and wait for the official release on November 20th on Steve Aoki’s label, Dim Mak Records.
